HAMILTON, Ont. — Hold off on ordering those playoff tickets. The Ottawa Redblacks have more work to do.

A lot more.

The Redblacks had to a chance to even their regular-season record, but instead the first-year Canadian Football League team stumbled on Saturday night, losing 33-23 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ron Joyce Stadium.

Quarterback Dan LeFevour, making his first CFL start, bamboozled the Redblacks’ defence with his scrambling, and an assortment of big plays carried the Tiger-Cats (1-3) to victory in their first game in Hamilton in 637 days. They had played home games in Guelph last season during the initial construction of Tim Hortons Field.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Dan LeFevour, centre, scores the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Ottawa Redblacks in Hamilton on Saturday, July 26, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett)

That facility is still under construction, and controversially so, thus the Tiger-Cats were playing at the 6,000-capacity Ron Joyce Stadium on the campus of McMaster University.

Maybe that was why the Redblacks (1-3) failed to capitalize on a couple of glorious scoring chances. Twice they had the ball inside the Ticats’ five-yard line, but failed to score a touchdown and instead settled for short field goals by Brett Maher.

Those eight points would have helped immensely.

As it turned out, the Tiger-Cats took the lead for good on a one-yard quarterback sneak by LeFevour with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

That short run was set up by a much longer one by C.J. Gable. LeFevour again beat a safety blitz by the Redblacks, this time with a screen pass to Gable, and the speedy tailback carried the ball to the two-yard line.

The Redblacks did have the ball again, of course, but Henry Burris misfired on a pass attempt to Paris Jackson on third-and-two just inside the three-minute warning and gave the ball back to the Tiger-Cats. They drove to Ottawa’s 25-yard line before Justin Medlock kicked an insurance field goal with less than minute remaining.

LeFevour, who was a backup to Burris with the Tiger-Cats for the previous two seasons, outshone his former mentor by completing 21 of 30 passes for 361 yards, and he also ran for 109.

“The goal was to try to keep him in the pocket because we know he’s very athletic and he’s very mobile. That’s his game. The goal was to get him out of his game and, for us as a defence, we didn’t do that.”

The Tiger-Cats won the pre-game coin toss for the first time this season, which meant the Redblacks’ winless streak reached six, including pre-season.

Then the hosts stunned the visitors by scoring on just two plays. After a 24-yard pass-and-run to Samuel Giguere, Brandon Banks took a shovel pass, eluded some Redblacks tacklers and broke the weak tackling efforts of others while tight-roping the sideline for a 53-yard scoring play.

Henry Burris of the Ottawa Redblacks throws a pass during CFL game action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 26, 2014 at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

However, the Redblacks responded immediately, driving 96 yards in six-plus minutes for the tying touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Burris to Matt Carter. Hamilton’s Courtney Stephen dove for the ball, but missed it, and Carter plucked it with both hands before diving across the goal-line.

That was the Redblacks’ first touchdown since the second quarter of their second game of the season, July 11 against the Edmonton Eskimos.

Not that any of that made a difference on defence for the Redblacks in the moments that followed. On second-and-10, LeFevour scrambled for 34 yards, after which Gable, who had only six yards on eight carries a week earlier against the Calgary Stampeders, rumbled 47 yards for another touchdown. Just like that, the Ticats led 14-7.

There was more bad news on the ensuing for the Redblacks on the ensuing kickoff return, as special-teams captain and backup defensive lineman Justin Phillips had his left leg rolled up when Chevon Walker was tackled by the Ticats’ David Caldwell.

The Ottawa native, who requested that the Stampeders trade him so he could play for his hometown CFL team, remained down on the field for several minutes before he was removed on a cart, his ankle area wrapped in a splint. Soon after, the team announced he had been taken to hospital for X-rays.

After — finally — a non-scoring drive for each team, the Redblacks drove 57 yards to tie the score again at 14-14. The capper was a 19-yard touchdown throw from Burris to Marcus Henry.

The next time they had the ball, the Redblacks drove 70 yards before stalling at the Tiger-Cats’ three, leading to a 10-yard field goal by Maher for a 17-14 lead.

One of the key plays on the drive was a fake punt, on which Maher threw the ball to upback Patrick Lavoie for a 25-yard gain.

Matt Carter of the Ottawa Redblacks celebrates his touchdown during CFL game action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 26, 2014 at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton.(Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

After Medlock kicked an 11-yard field goal to tie the score, just inside the three-minute warning, Burris threw his first interception of the season. Craig Butler returned the ball to the Ticats’ 45-yard line, and LeFevour drove them into position to set up a successful 36-yard kick by Medlock.

That put the Tiger-Cats ahead 20-17 going into the break. It was the first time in four games that the Redblacks had trailed at halftime.

Ottawa’s defence had also allowed 280 yards of net offence to Hamilton by that point. The Burris-led Redblacks offence had 205.

A swap of field goals midway through the third quarter left the Ticats ahead by a 23-20 score. That the hosts got even close enough to manage the 18-yard attempt by Medlock was due entirely to bad tackling by the Redblacks. Safety Antoine Pruneau had LeFevour in his sights on a blitz, but whiffed on the tackle, allowing the Hamilton QB to fire a 50-yard bomb to Cary Koch.

LeFevour continued to give the Redblacks trouble with his scrambling, but Ottawa’s Jovon Johnson cut off the next drive with an interception.

Phillips was back at the stadium by the time the game ended, an inflatable boot around what was a broken left fibula. Estimated time out of the lineup: six weeks.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it happens,” Phillips said. “It’s football, it’s life. I have to bounce back and be positive and be a positive influence around the boys until I’m ready to be out on the field.”

Ottawa also lost the services of receiver Kierrie Johnson with an undetermined injury in the third quarter. There was no immediate update on his status, but he was holding his left arm in place with his right as he walked down a hallway with head athletic therapist Dave Wright.

Burris finished with 27 completions in 44 pass attempts for 290 yards, and he ran nine times for 32 yards. Walker was Ottawa’s leading rusher with 37 yards on eight carries.

Marcus Henry topped Redblacks pass catchers with 10 receptions for 138 yards. Gable led the Tiger-Cats in reception yards with 105 on just three catches.

The injuries to Phillips and Johnson will almost certainly mean a couple of lineup changes for the Redblacks when they face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in their second home game at TD Place stadium, next Saturday.